May's foods in season and what to cook with them

Here are the foods that are at their best in the month of May and some great recipe ideas.

As the cold months begin to become a memory in May, a glut of green vegetables and soft fruits start to fill the shelves. It's a great month to get into the kitchen. These are some of the best ingredients to cook with this month and what to make with them.

Vegetables

It's time for asparagus to appear. Elsewhere, Jersey royals continue to make their way over, nestling next to fresh maincrops. It’s time to celebrate watercress later in the month, with the annual festival in Alresford in Hampshire taking place on the 20th. Carrots and artichokes are also starting to appear.

When it comes to salads, don't forget beetroot, cucumber, curly lettuce, radishes, spinach and spring onions. The first tomatoes are on their way too, and if you fancy foraging, keep an eye out for wild garlic and wild mushrooms.

Try...

Asparagus egg dippers with smoked salmon

Radish, purple sprouting broccoli, asparagus and pea salad

Cucumber and yogurt gazpacho

Scandinavian-style beetroot and potato salad

Tomato and pesto tarts

Yuki Sugiura./My Kind of Food/Headline

Meat

Spring lamb will be on the shelves this month, while chicken and pork lend themselves well to light, spring dishes. If you're firing up the barbecue, give steak a go. 

Try...

Grilled spring lamb cutlets

Barbecued rib-eye steak

Lemony chicken and spinach curry

Heston Blumenthal's pork shoulder sliders

Lamb sausage kebabs with tzatziki

Sausage/DK

Seafood

Mackerel, cod and haddock are on the menu. And crab is still nipping at our tastebuds. Fish-wise, early barbecue options include salmon, sea bass, tuna and sea trout.

Cod fingers with mushy peas

Barbecued garlic pepper prawns

Nadiya Hussain's jerk haddock

Grilled tuna steaks a la niçoise

Cheddar and crab tart

Davidstow

Fruit

Wimbledon may still be a month away but there are plenty of British strawberries now on sale. May is also a good time for rhubarb and you might spot the first blackcurrants of the season.

Strawberry Victoria sponge

Rhubarb crumble traybake

Blackcurrant and rosemary cheesecake

Summer berry cupcakes

Strawberry scotch pancakes

Alison Clarkson

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